Rutgers

It doesn’t take a genius to see that there’s something about Beyoncé‘s history, persona and business model that is different from your average pop star. She’s not always a chart topper, nor is she always the most talked about (although when she is it’s with zeal from both fans and detractors) but Beyoncé is an undoubtedly powerful force, and indeed widely considered more socially and culturally influential than some of her more pervasive contemporaries. It’s little surprise to us then, that doctoral student Kevin Allred has begun teaching a course called “Politicizing Beyoncé” at Rutgers, as a means of dissecting and analyzing the Beyoncé story and positioning her as a culturally important figure both in terms of gender and race studies.

“She certainly pushes boundaries. While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona,” says Allred. He also notes that, “It’s important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they’re engaging on a regular basis.” Raising critical awareness of the media through education seems ever more pertinent, as celebrity culture (especially given the advent of Internet celebrity), is increasingly saturating our everyday lives. Allred’s course covers issues like control, sexuality, empowerment, race and femininity in terms of Beyoncé’s behemoth persona. We’re not sure about you, but we’re ducking out to buy some school supplies on our lunch break — we want back in the classroom!